Wandlore
by AmeliaVictoire
Summary: Holly and Cornelia Ollivander are not your ordinary pair of feuding sisters. And James Potter just makes things worse.
1. Sisterly Love

~Chapter 1~

The door knob was broken again and Holly didn't have the energy to dig her wand out from her under her numerous robes in order to fix it. It was the third time this week she had come home to find something broken.

She'd been leaning against the door to the manor for the past 5 minutes, head resting against the smooth wood as the rain poured down outside of the porch. "Ostium reparo," she said with a limp wave of her hand. The knob slipped back into its place, door swinging open after it. It took a slight hesitation and shiver for Holly to muster enough courage to step over the threshold.

As the door swung shut on the storm outside and the warm old fashioned coziness of the manor enveloped her, Holly's demeanor brightened. She walked through the house with  
renewed purpose. Every room she passed lit up, fireplaces burst into life, and pictures waved at her furiously. The kitchen was her first stop after having left her cloak and hat in a large puddle in the front room. She'd clean it up later.

Her general routine after getting home from the shop in Diagon Alley, was to break out her starched white apron, with its large bow in the back, and begin cooking dinner. She cooked wandless, expect for levitating and turning on burners, the way her Great Aunt Harriet had taught her.

Aunt Harriet currently resided in the room she died in 20 years ago. A room she generally stayed in except for holidays and parties, or when she felt the need to impart some great wisdom on Holly as she cooked, such as "Fold the eggs into the batter dear. With all that swishing around you're doing with that spoon it'll turn to glue! That's a muggle contraption. It's used to stick things together. Oh! We should have a muggle arts and crafts party!" Aunt Harriet was a bit of muggle aficionado, considering that in her much younger years she'd been Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. She'd gotten a bit batty as the years went on however, and spent most of her time haunting the muggle T.V. Holly had bought for her.

Holly was elbow deep in flour when she heard a thumping on the stairs. A socked foot had reached the landing just outside the kitchen, and a head followed it, peering around the door.

"Good afternoon Cornelia. Did you have fun tearing up the house again today? I'm assuming it was you. After all, Great Aunt Harriet may be a ghost but she is and always has been a gentle soul." Holly leaned on the counter and smiled menacingly at the the sour looking ten year old that stood there.

The two were obviously related. They both had long copper hair, dark brows, sharp blue eyes, the same straight nose and the same furious expression. Except for the serious differences in wardrobe, age, Cornelia's numerous freckles, and Holly's glasses, they could be twins.  
"I see you got in alright." was all Cornelia said.

"Well it was a pathetic attempt to keep me out Nel." Holly had turned back to the cake she'd been baking, but not before Cornelia had seen the subtle roll of her eyes. Not so subtle apparently. A light bulb in the chandelier in the hall exploded.

"Do you really want to play this game?" Holly's hands clenched the wooden kitchen table and she stared at Cornelia from under her brows. Nel looked scared all of a sudden.

"No. Not really." She turned and walked slowly into the living room and sprawled onto one of the sofas, "Big meanie."

Holly snorted from her place in the kitchen. After washing the flour from her hands she took a tray of tea into the solarium and sat down, staring at the rain pounding against the large glass windows. Cornelia followed soon after.

"I'm going to Hogwarts." Cornelia had slumped down on the floor and was leaning against the cold glass windows staring up at her big sister.

"No. Mother and Father expressly left instructions for you to be home-schooled, Nel. I can't go against that can I?" Holly's face looked pained as she thought of her deceased parents again for billionth time that week. The subject of whether or not Cornelia would attend Hogwarts or stay home and learn the family craft from her sister was a huge point of contention.

"I didn't go to Hogwarts and look at me! I'm 23, extremely successful and practically famous in the wizarding world. We could be famous together. The Ollivander Sisters! Internationally renowned as the best wand makers since the time of Merlin!"

"You're also a loner Holly." Cornelia's face lightened.

"You watch too much Muggle T.V. Nel... and I so have friends!"

Cornelia took a moment to respond, her face solemn as she studied Holly's anxious expression. "Aunt Harriet and I don't count. And neither does, what's his face, the owner of Flourish and Blotts. He's old too."

Her sister had done so much for her in the past. With the death of their parents a few years back, Cornelia had become Holly's responsibility, yet with the burdens of the wand shop already on her, Holly found herself severely hindered.

She was a veritable genius when it came to wand lore and craft. Her gift had helped to seriously rebuild and expand the family business in the years after the war. With their Great Uncle Ollivander sick for so long, and Holly being the only member of the family with any real interest in keeping up tradition, rebuilding took a while. She longed to travel the world and meet with different wizarding communities, learn their histories and their special techniques for making wands. She'd learned everything from her uncle's vast archives of information long ago. She wanted more, yet she had Cornelia to think of.

Hogwarts was a foreign concept to Holly. She'd learned everything needed from her family. Her mother and father had taught her the basics while Uncle Ollivander had showed her the ancient and mysterious stuff that so few Hogwarts students even knew existed. Her childhood was isolated with only her family for interaction, and it was most likely a miracle she turned out the way she did.

"Hogwarts... I could teach you so much more than they do there. I could culture you, take you on trips, you wouldn't get sucked into house warfare-"

Holly was in the middle of her rant when Great Aunt Harriet descended from the ceiling in her ghostly form, an elegant yet slightly irate expression on her face. "A rather strapping lad has just tumbled out from my fireplace via Floo Powder, along with a very pleasant red haired young lady. I would be most grateful, my dears, if you could take care of this rather unexpected visit somewhere other than my room. I was in the middle of a rather spicy episode of Jersey Shore. American T.V is nothing like ours my dears, let me tell you!"

Holly and Cornelia took one confused look at each other before sprinting for the stairs.


	2. James Remebers

~Chapter 2~

The woman on the cover of his sister's new issue of _Witch Weekly_ looked so damn familiar. James leaned back in his chair and with a quick glance around the deserted office, he opened the magazine. "Holly Ollivander, age 23, has become one of the world's most renowned witches, not only for her profound talent, but her assertive business skill and but her special mix of forward thinking and traditionalism..."

Merlin's beard he did know her...

_Dad and Lily were the only ones with them when they went to get his very first wand. Mum and Albus had been looking at owls. It was back when Mr. Ollivander had still been alive and still well. James wouldn't lie, the guy was slightly creepy, still cool nonetheless._

_The entire time Mr. Ollivander spent measuring and handing James wands, the only thing he could register was the girl sitting on a rather tall stool behind the counter. Her hair was a reddish color, and her eyes were magnified behind a large pair of spectacles. What really fascinated him however was a little wooden figure of a broom stick that she was carving... with a wand of all things. Yet the girl had to be his age. What the hell kind of girl had the ability to perform that kind of magic at age 11?_

_"Ah forgive me! It would seem that in my old age, I have forgotten my manners." Mr. Ollivander stopped in his thorough examination of James and waved his hands with a slight flourish of exasperation. "Although it doesn't seem like she quite cares what's going on, this is my great niece Holly. She's apprenticed to me, learning the family business. Right Holly?"_

_Mr. Ollivander said the last with great volume, causing Holly to sit up suddenly looking bewildered. Her large glasses slid down her nose making her predicament even funnier which caused James to unexpectedly laugh. Holly glared, and his father who'd been sitting next to him, smacked him over the head with his copy of the Daily Prophet._  
_"I.. I'm sorry. Mr. Potter I forgot you were here." Holly had hopped down off the stool and came around the front desk revealing that she was still quite small. "Uncle told me you were coming and well he'd told me all about how you saved his life and that time - in your fourth year - oh my goodness with the dragon! And how you won the challenge by FLYING. It's all rather fascinating to me sir. And uh, well I made this for you. I've been practicing and Uncle said it'll help expand the family business one day so I wanted you to have my first one. You know good business and all if everyone knows the famous Harry Potter liked my carvings." Her entire speech had been given with such an expression of hero worship on her face that James nearly threw up then and there. "Not that you absolutely have to like them... or anything."_

_His father stood up and was admiring the figurine with more attention than James thought necessary. Though he was somewhat shorter than most, the great Harry Potter towered over the little girl and they made quite the hilarious sight for any beholder. Especially Ginny and Albus who had just entered the store._

_"Gin come meet Holly. She has a brilliant gift for carving. Look what she made me!" _

_"It's wonderful!" said Ginny, she directed her gaze to the small red head. "You know I used to be a professional Quidditch player in my day?" His mum asked and began to joke, "I'm the real professional, this one only dabbled in the sport. Got too rough for him so now he's an auror. Panzy."_

_Holly was eating up all the attention, while Mr. Ollivander and the rest of James's family had crowded around to see Holly's handy work. James hung back feeling neglected. It was big day, his very first wand, his first year at Hogwarts. He really hoped this girl wasn't going to Hogwarts. In fact he wished it so much he even said it out loud._

_"It's not that great. I really hope if that's all you know how to do, that you're not coming to Hogwarts this year. Hufflepuff doesn't need any more airheads."_

_The shop went silent and James knew his blasted temper had gotten him into trouble again considering his mother had a look on her face that rivaled Grandma Molly's and his father.. Well it was just wasn't good. Why did he have to go off like that? It was a serious question for James, as he had no clue why he disliked this girl so much. _

_While his whole family had gone quiet and Holly had gone stone faced, "I'm not going to Hogwarts, thank you. And I'm sure if I did that Hufflepuff would be happy to have me." She turned on her heel and ducked under the desk, racing to the back of the shop._

_Mr. Ollivander broke the awkward silence with, oddly enough, an amused chuckle. "Well James shall we find you a wand and get you on your way then? I'm afraid Holly might re-think being that generous, and I'd dearly like to not have to scrap anyone off the ceiling today." Mr. Ollivander had hobbled around the back of the counter again searching the shelves. He turned back once he found one, and saw the entire family looking quite serious. "I was only joking... Dear me."_

That was the last time that James had ever seen her and good thing too. He folded his newspaper up and shoved it to the back of his desk. Apparently she'd become famous for the exact reason she'd told him all those years ago. It was amazing that he still remembered the incident so clearly, after all this time. Most likely because it was one of the incidents in his life in which he actually regretted his actions. It wasn't a perfect prank to brag about, and it wasn't like she'd deserved it in any way. He was just a prat. A really big prat.

Perhaps it was time he made up for past mistakes... Maybe she wouldn't even remember him. He reached over and picked up the paper again. The woman on the cover was beautiful yet looked like she could push you over with sheer will-power. She smirked up at James from the cover. For some reason James didn't think she looked like the type to forget things. More like the type to hold on to a grudge for a really really long time. Maybe he'd hold off on that visit for a little while.


	3. Only Most of the Day

~Chapter 3~

It was a testament to Great Aunt Harriet's incredibly advanced age that she would describe the very middle aged man standing in the fireplace as "a strapping lad." Holly had just enough time to gather this first impression of him as she stepped into Aunt Harriet's room, before Cornelia came running up behind her and pushed her quiet roughly into the doorjamb.

"Blast it Nel, watch where you're going!" Holly pushed herself off the door with a sigh and followed her sister into the room.

"Perhaps if you weren't blocking the door like a ninny I wouldn't have run into you."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have been running at all!"

"You were running too, don't even try to play it off!"

"Girls," sad Great Aunt Harriet lamely, she looked back and forth between the sisters and their poor guests, "GIRLS! CONTROL YOURSELVES."

Holly stopped, her demeanor instantly changing into one oozing charm, "Good evening sir, I' am Ms. Ollivander, mistress of the house. To what do I owe this rather, unexpected visit and pleasure? This is after all, a very tricky house to gain access to." Her last words had a bit of edge to them as she stared the man down.

He didn't look too threatening to Holly to be perfectly honest. Rather a regular sort of wizard who would have been perhaps dashing in his day. He didn't look an inch ruffled by her theatrics though. The young woman behind him did however and it wasn't just because she was covered in soot and ashes. She looked a bit familiar too.

"Ah yes Ms. Ollivander! Pleasure to meet you. I am Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I am here at the request of your young sister, Ms. Cornelia. She wished me to act as a medium between the two of you in order to discuss the subject of her attending Hogwarts. I have brought along one of our more successful seventh years, Lily, to help me in this endeavor as she can provide some helpful perspective as a student herself" said the professor evenly. He held several documents in his hand which he gripped harder as he watched a myriad of emotions flicker across the famous witch's face. He didn't really feel like getting into any duels today.

"Would you excuse me professor?" asked Holly, not waiting for an answer before dragging her sister out into the hall and slamming the door.

Neville turned to his young companion, "We're either about to be kicked out, or we're going to be here all day." He plopped down into a chair not bothering to dust himself off at all. "Sitting, I feel, will be our best bet into furthering our chances of success. She'll be less likely to give us the boot then."

Lily crossed the room to the only open seat available, which was right next to a very large bay window. For someone as famous and renowned as the Ollivanders, Lily had expected their family home to be somewhat larger and grander like the Malfoy mansion she had once visited with her elder brother Albus. He had somehow become friends with Scorpius Malfoy, but that was an entirely different story.

Ollivander House completely lacked the dark gothic style of most old wizarding homes. Instead it was a beautiful Victorian, with a wide wrap around porch, huge floor to ceiling windows and everything in it was centered around a cheery blue or yellow color. Lily liked it immediately. It felt like home.

Lily stared out the window transfixed by something glittering over the tops of the trees. Was that a lake? It was pretty large. How she had missed it before puzzled her greatly. But of course all old wizarding homes must have their secrets. It was a wonder Uncle Neville even got them access to the house.

Neville was right in assuming that sitting would somehow help them in getting Holly to let them stay. She had returned to the room rather red-faced and looking like she would blast them all to bits when she saw Lily staring out the window admiring the grounds and the distant lake.

Holly's face softened a bit and her gaze turned to the professor. "After carefully... listening... to my sisters reasonings I have come to the conclusion that it cannot hurt to at least listen to what you have to say about Hogwarts. Cornelia!" The girl stepped into the room looking a little frazzled yet just as angry. "Would you be kind enough to bring us all up a pot of tea? And some biscuits, you know the usual fixings?" Nel nodded before slipping out of the room.

Holly immediately began pacing the floor, her long skirts swishing as she turned sharply at the end of the room. Her business clothes were quite traditional for a witch of such a young age. It was Holly who had put them back into style for the younger generation.

Neville was entirely nervous about the situation but kept it all in check with a reserved and bored appearance. His eyes followed Holly as she stalked the room and he waited anxiously for her to speak first and break the tension.

"As you can see Professor, the situation at home has been very tense for us. I'm not at home much, as I am very busy at the shop, and when I get home much of my time is dedicated to teaching Cornelia. What with the recent death of our parents and my complete lack of parental skills, and the family suddenly thrust into fame, I am at my wits end. Yet I love Cornelia, she is all I have left besides the house and the family business. She knows what I'm going through and thats why she wishes to go to Hogwarts, to relieve me of some of my burden. Only I can't allow that to happen. I won't rip my family apart further. Unless you can convince me that its the entirely right thing to do for her. I have no clue why I am confiding in you but you seem trustworthy. I suppose if Hogwarts wants Cornelia bad enough they will have sent someone equally willing to fight for her."

Holly clapped her hands lightly and a chair zoomed from the side of the room and stopped directly behind its misstress. She sat back, crossed her arms and daintily draped one leg over the other and said, "Convince me Professor, and Hogwarts can have Cornelia."

In the end it only took most of the day, rather than all of it for Neville to convince Holly that Hogwarts was the best place for her last remaining relative. Actually it was Lily who did the final convincing. It was when after a lot of talk had been done and Holly had enough parchment thrown at her that she could reconstruct whatever tree or animal skin it had come from, that she looked at Lily and said "What did you say your last name was Lily?"

The girl blushed from embarrassment "I didn't, but its Potter."

Holly's eyes widened with recognition and immediately narrowed with suspicion. "You are much nicer than James. That git." It was Lily's nice-ness that made Holly ponder whether her judgement of Hogwarts had been seriously thrown by the awfulness of one stupid little boy. She was slightly rattled considering her entire way of thinking was beginning to change. She stood up once more and began pacing again.

Cornelia had come back from getting tea hours ago and was sitting on a small hassock next to Professor Longbottom. She'd barely spoken during the entire conversation and as she watched her elder sister, she knew that something important was going on inside her big puffed up ego filled head.

"This is a very hard decision to make... and I feel the only way I can allow Cornelia to go to Hogwarts is with a few stipulations I have. I want to meet with all of her teachers beforehand. I want to know the course work she will be given. I may wish to accelerate her learning a little bit. I'm also thinking some level of security should be- oof!" Holly stopped mid demand as Nel had finally realized what her sister had just agreed to and was hugging her very tightly.

"Thank you Holly," was all that Cornelia said, and Holly knew that for the first time in a very long time, she had done something right.


End file.
